Valkyrie
by Isabel Night
Summary: After his death, Anubis goes to his reward.


**Disclaimer** - I will never own any of the characters in this story. They belong to their respective creators, voice actors, editors, and all people associated with the legal aspect of the characters in this story. I am not making any money off this story, nor should I receive any money for such reasons.

_Valkyrie  
__Isabel Night_

He stood on the grassy bank and watched his body sink under the water. The last thing he remembered was falling into the canal after transferring his armor to Lady Kayura in an attempt to exorcise Badamon from her body. It succeeded.

Anubis turned towards the sound of explosions. He hoped he had bought Kayura, his fellow warlords, and the Ronin Warriors enough time to break out of their towers. When they did, Anubis knew he had to let the others defeat Talpa. As he turned towards the castle, Anubis saw roof shingles fall onto the ground. Talpa was aflame, which added to the damage that would take weeks, if not months, to repair. _'Funny that I should think about housekeeping. What good will it do me now that I'm -' _

Anubis's thoughts were cut off by the caw of a bird. Above him, a raven circled in lazy arcs.

Strangely, the noise didn't seem to affect the battle. It was almost as if the raven didn't notice the other armor bearers before landing on the ground. Anubis made his way towards the raven, walking carefully so he wouldn't startle the bird. The animal's eyes seemed too intelligent to be wild. Was this someone's pet?

"I see you've met Ingvar."

A woman's voice startled Anubis. Scanning the grounds, he found the oddest woman smiling at him. Her long blond hair was worn in a tight ponytail. Her pale blue eyes told Anubis that she was from the west, and she wore chain mail while a broadsword banged on her hip inside its sheath. "Who are you?"

"I am Hildr. You are Anubis Koma?"

"I am."

"Then I am in the correct location." Hildr smiled. "I was sent by Father Odin to bring victory to your brothers-in-arms."

"They will defeat Talpa?" Anubis asked, hoping that what Hildr was saying was true and hiding the fact he didn't know who "Father Odin" was.

"Yes, they will be victorious. However, my reason for being here is twofold. I have also been sent here to bring you to Valhalla."

"Valhalla?"

"Hall of the slain. You have been chosen, because of your valor, to sit with the heroes of previous wars and fight with the gods in Ragnarok."

"Ragnarok? What is that?"

"The end of the world."

Anubis raised an eyebrow. "So you want me to fight for you at the end of the world?"

"Not fight for me, but fight with the gods when time ends."

"I don't believe you."

Hildr sighed. "Fine. You're a foreigner, and I expect that there will be some hesitation. However, you are dead. There's nothing left in this world for you."

"I'm not going with you."

Hildr sighed again. She wasn't getting anywhere with this stubborn young man and they had to get going soon. The solar eclipse only allowed a small amount of time for her to reach Valhalla from the Nether Realm. "If you won't come with me willingly, I will take you by force."

"I'm still not going. My duty is to -"

"Akira Koma," Hildr interrupted.

Anubis went silent as his eyes widened. "What did you say?"

"I said Akira Koma. When your father died in battle, I carried him to Valhalla as well. He was just as resistant. Like father, like son I suppose."

Anubis clenched his fists, wondering if he had enough strength to snap her neck.

Hildr smiled at Anubis's reaction. "Good. Now that I have your attention, I am giving you two options. If you continue to resist me, I will drag you into Valhalla myself. If you come willingly, you will see your father and fight alongside him on the last day."

Anubis unclenched his hands at Hildr's offer. Nothing except the past was keeping him bound to the Nether Realm, but here was a chance to meet the only phantom in his life - his father, who died in battle when he was eight years old. How would he react upon seeing his father?

Something started to tug at his mind. _'It's a simple offer. I thought I was strong enough to resist bribes.'_

_'You're human,'_ the logical part of Anubis's mind pointed out. _'You never had a father in your life. He was never around when you needed him.'_

_'I don't blame him for my mistakes,_' Anubis's emotional side countered. _'But seeing him after so long...'_

_'Would you really blame him for getting killed on the battlefield?'_

_'Stop it!'_

_'He wasn't a perfect person. Don't idealize someone you've never met.'_

_'Then I know what to say.'_

_'And that would be?'_

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Anubis gave Hildr his answer. "Do I have your word that I will see my father if I go with you?"

"You have my word."

Hildr held out her hand and Anubis took it. With a gentle tug, she led him down a grassy pathway. Anubis had completely forgotten about the raven - now perched on Hildr's shoulders. He assumed that Hildr was leading him down service exits for the servants. The roads were cobbled and winding, with wooden houses leading directly to the road.

In one of the yards was an old tree. Tied to one of the low branches, a pure white horse with wings flicked its tail from left to right. Startled by the creature, Anubis watched Hildr adjust the saddle and reigns. After she'd mounted it, she held out her hand again. "Do you know how to ride a horse?'

"Yes, but I hardly see how -"

"Climb on. We can't exactly walk into Valhalla."

Anubis climbed on, grabbed Hildr's shoulders, and the two took off. Seeing the castles, canals, and the capital city from aerial view was breathtaking. Anubis almost missed the sight of the three warlords and Kayura floating back to the castle. "They were victorious?" Anubis asked in awe.

"Father Odin made a promise to give your friends victory. Why should he not fail to deliver?"

Anubis said nothing as they rode from the golden sky and towards the last sliver of the solar eclipse. Before getting close to the sun, they soared through the blue sky of the human world. Quickly reaching higher altitude, Hildr spoke words Anubis didn't understand. Without warning, the sky pinched and rippled at the seams. Anubis almost felt sick, but soon they were at the base of a fiery rainbow bridge. At the base of the bridge was an armed man that reminded Anubis of a castle guard. "Halt! Who dares to enter the realm of Asgard?"

"Heimdall you fool, it's me, Hildr! I am bringing a warrior to Valhalla. Kindly let us travel Bifrost."

Heimdall rolled his eyes, but allowed the two of them pass. Anubis didn't look back at the guard, but gripped Hildr's shoulders tighter before reaching a building flanked with a strange mix of green-gold grass and trees with golden apples. Admiring the flora, Anubis caught the sound of men daring others to drink alcohol past their normal limit. _'Someone is enjoying too much sake,'_ Anubis privately chuckled.

Before he could listen to more, Hildr roughly tugged on his arm to dismount. More curious than obedient, Anubis did and followed Hildr into the building. A maze of weapons and shields lined the hallways and Anubis recognized some of them. Katanas, Tanto Knives, and bows-and-arrows were some of the weapons mounted. There were also weapons from around the world, such as various types of guns, bayonets, and pamphlets warning of mustard gas.

When the hallway maze ended, Anubis was ushered into a large room with gold shields lining the ceiling. There were various benches and tables littered with men and women who had fought in various wars. He didn't recognize any of them. "Did Hildr -"

"Toshitada!" someone cried out, using his birth name. "Stop standing there like an untouchable and join us!"

Hearing his old name sent shivers down Anubis's spine. As Anubis scanned the crowds, men and women were standing to greet him. Before the first person could welcome him, Anubis saw a figure with the same hair color as his.

Sprinting past the others without bothering to be polite, Anubis was only a few feet away when the man turned to look at him. His hair was the same shade of red, but his eyes were dark brown instead of Anubis's blue-green. Except for the eye color, Anubis felt like he was looking in a mirror. "Father..."

"It's been a long time, Toshitada," Akira smiled as he stood up. "You've become quite a young man." Without warning, he threw his arms around son's shoulders and hugged him tightly.

Anubis, who was unused to this type of touching, stood stiff his father's embrace. Slowly nestling into the hug, Anubis wondered if the gesture meant that his father was proud of him. He didn't know for sure, and maybe being a warlord had numbed his emotions, but Anubis didn't care if warriors weren't allowed to cry. He let a steady stream of tears to trickle down his face.

_THE END_

**End Notes** - I would like to thank all my Beta Readers who helped me edit this story. Without their help, this story wouldn't have been possible.


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